VALDOSTA, Ga. | The University of Alabama in Huntsville softball team will make its 18th straight appearance in the NCAA tournament when it opens up play at the 2021 NCAA Division II South Regional on Wednesday at Valdosta State as the third seed taking on No. 6 seed Mississippi College on the campus of Valdosta State. 
 
First pitch is slated for 2:30 p.m. CT.
 
The Chargers earned an at-large berth to the tournament after posting a 31-12 record in the regular season, including seven victories over teams that are participating in the regional this week.
 
UAH is led offensively by Kiara Akles who is tied for the team lead with a .364 batting average, and her 46 RBI rank third in the GSC. Matching her with the .364 average is Mackenzie Nutt who is tied with Shelby Booker atop UAH's run ledger by crossing the plate 36 times on the year.
 
On Tuesday, Akles and her teammate Ashley Cornell – who is hitting .314 with an on-base percentage of .414 – were both named to the D2CCA All-South Region Second Team, marking the second time this year both have been named to an all-region squad as the pair were also second-team selections to the NFCA All-South Region squads.
 
In the circle, All-GSC pitcher Layton Murphy leads the Blue and White with a 2.26 ERA and a 15-4 record with 13 complete games and four shutouts.
 
It will be a familiar foe for the Chargers on Wednesday as they square off against a Mississippi College team that worked its way into an at-large berth of its own after going 21-20 on the year including eight wins against regionally-ranked teams of which four came against UAH.
 
All-region catcher McCall Lee is hitting a MC-high .382 for the campaign, driving in 36 runs thanks in part to her 10 doubles and eight home runs, and the Choctaws pitching staff is led by Avery Barnett who has a 3.44 ERA and an 11-6 record.
 
This will mark UAH's 23rd appearance in the national postseason event, and the Chargers are 62-46 all-time in the tournament. 
 
The winner of Wednesday's game will take on No. 2 seed Valdosta State on Thursday, while the loser will turn right around for an elimination game immediately following the conclusion of the contest on Wednesday.